


A Demon's Heart is Black as Night

by Soulless_the_demon



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: BAMF Dipper, BAMF mabel, Bill is dark, Body Horror, Canon Divergence, Human!Bill, M/M, Mild Gore, Older!Dipper, Sassy Dipper Pines, This is kind of confusing, basically bill tried to steal everyone's souls instead, bill is a fucking dork ok, buckle up kiddos, demon!dipper, does a fucked up eye count as body horror?, go stan, hahah did I say mild, idk - Freeform, im sorry, kind of, magic!Dipper, magic!Mabel, sort of, stan still beats his ass though, they're both p badass, this is gonna have feels, weirdmaggedon never happened
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-03
Updated: 2016-11-09
Packaged: 2018-04-20 12:50:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,934
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4787822
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Soulless_the_demon/pseuds/Soulless_the_demon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After an unfortunate accident with a demon leaves Dipper half-blind. A strange blond man keeps showing up in Dipper's dreams. And in reality. When strange fluctuations in Dipper's magical ability start to occur. The Pines twin will learn that all is not what it seems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Eye Incidents

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper and Mabel try to do their job and get fucked up. Alot. Well mostly Dipper. I'm not sorry

  
It was a calm day in Gravity Falls, the birds were softly chirping, and the weather was pleasantly warm. But the young man known as Dipper was having _Anything_  but a normal day. The Pines twin was currently running for his life, a glowing bag clutched to his chest.

His sister was next to him, hastily reading out magical curses from Dipper's spellbook, trying to hold off the furious and snarling creature behind them.

The demon was leaping from tree to tree, catching up to them. "Remind me _why_ exactly we need that stupid glowing rock?!" Mabel shouted, throwing a blast of fire at the creature, which it dodged.

"Ford needs it for a warding spell! I didn't think It'd be in a demon's nest!" Dipper answered, more focused on navigating the two of them safely through the woods.

It had been eight years since the twins had spent their first summer in Gravity Falls, eight years since the demon known as Bill Cipher had nearly stolen the entire town's souls through his deals. He would have succeded too, if the Pines family hadn't stopped him.

Since that time, the twins had learned magic, and were amazing adept. Mabel was better with Chaos magic, because of her personality.

Dipper on the other hand was much better at controlled magic, or Elemental magic. Earth, Water, Fire, Air, that kind of stuff.

But nothing seemed to be helping against the demon chasing them now.

It was tall; and had purplish skin. It's eyes were an oily black and it had claws longer than Dipper's entire head. But even those couldn't rip through the shack's magical barrier, so all they had to do was _reach it._  But Mabel was getting tired from using so many spells, especially since they weren't in her branch of magic. "Dipper I can't anymore!" She called. Oh shit. "It's ok! We're almost there!"

That's when the demon tackled him.

Dipper went down, the bag flying out of his hands and landing in a nearby bush.  Mabel skidded to a stop, dropping the book and going towards the demon. It snarled, raking it's claws across Dipper's face. The boy screamed in pain, kicking the creature in the stomach and sending it flying. Mabel punched it before it could stand up again, incapacitating it. For about five seconds.

As the creature roused, both twins grabbed their stuff and ran for it, clearing the trees and using the last of their energy to get to the shack. Mabel slammed open the door and Dipper stumbled inside. "We made it!" Mabel cheered, then instantly turned worried when she saw her brother's face. "Dipper are you ok?" "Yeah Mabel I'm fine-" That's when he promptly collapsed.

Dipper awoke with a splitting headache. The brunette groaned loudly, making his sister jump up from the chair she was sitting in. When had Dipper gotten on his bed? And why couldn't he see out of his right eye?! Mabel rushed over and hugged him tightly, effectively distracting him for a moment. "Oh thank goodness you're awake!" "Yeah... How long was I out?"

Mabel worried her lip, looking away. "About three days... You lost so much blood and were so exhausted." The Pines twin nearly fell out of his bed. "Three _days?!"_ His sister nodded and he brought a hand to his face, flinching when pain stabbed through his eye. "What the fuck?" He asked aloud, looking at his hand. "Um... Your eye was clawed out by that demon... Kind of? I think you're gonna be blind in one eye, Ford didn't really explain..." Dipper was shocked. He was going to be half blind? Better than totally blind but still.  _Half blind?_

"Speaking of Ford... Shouldn't you get him and Stan since I'm... Awake?" Mabel jumped up again, eyes widening. "Ohmigosh Dipper you're right!" She rushed out of the room, causing her brother to chuckle. His sister was so adorably hyper-active.

The grunkles came rushing up the stairs, fighting eachother to get inside first. Dipper couldn't help but crack up when they fell in a grumbling heap on the floor.

"Hey Stan, Ford." He nodded to each of them respectively, then regretted it. The pain in his head was horrible.

His grunkles looked at him worriedly, but it was Ford who spoke first, brushing off his coat as he did so. "Ah-Dipper... Thank you for retrieving the stone. And I'm... Sorry that you got hurt."

By the awkward way he was speaking Dipper determined the man wasn't used to apologizing. That was ok, he understood that feeling. "It's alright Ford, I didn't die right?"

"Yes but you eye is basically useless!"

Dipper shrugged it off, if only for Ford's sake. "Whatever, I can still kind of see. Don't worry, really."

Lies

Lies lies lies lies

They rolled off of his tounge like butter off a knife, and he couldn't stop them. He wasn't ok. He was now severly limited. And his fucking _eye_  had been clawed out.

After talking breifly with the Stan twins, Dipper was left to his own devices, and the first thing he decided to do was get a look at himself.

He locked the bathroom door behind him, putting his hands on either side of the sink and looking up at himself in the mirror.

He looked  _horrible._

His skin was pale and sunken, his visible eye dull, and deep bags under it. "Damn..." He turned on the water and splashed himself in the face, groaning softly. He instantly felt a bit better.

After looking at the bandages for a while, Dipper wandered downstairs, mumbling about food.

When he got to the kitchen it was empty, so the brunette took to raiding the fridge, grabbing ham, bread, apples, and whatever else tickled his fancy.

After having not eaten for _three days_ his hunger was understandable. Odd. But understandable.

He wandered back up to his room, dumping the food on his bed, grabbing his journal, and starting to write.

'Oh boy, where do I start today? Mabel and I had to get a weird magical stone for Grunkle Ford. Only it belonged to a demon. You can see where this is going huh? It chased us through the woods but Mabel's awesome magic kept it at bay. It still nearly killed me, and ruined my eye. It's been weird and kinda itchy lately, although I'll have some crazy scars to impress people with!'

Dipper chuckled, trying to make light of the admittedly dire situation he was in.

The brunette closed his journal and tossed it back on his desk, grabbing a piece of bread and ripping it off, chewing it thoughtfully. "Hmm... Maybe I can figure out a spell to restore it? There's gotta be one!"

After a few hours of brainstorming, the Pines twin had eaten all the food. Literally all of it. It was kind of ridiculous honestly, but hey! He was a hungry man.

Unbeknownst to the young man, down in the shop, another man entered. He wore a tailored vest with yellow bricks lining it, and an eye in the middle. Under it he wore a clean white shirt and black gloves. His pants were perfectly clean. And his boots shone unnaturally. The man wore a top hat that leaned more to the right, staying perfectly balanced. To top off his outfit he wore a perfect black bowtie and carried a cane. He had coffee colored skin, and an angular, handsome face-shape.

As the man moved, his blonde hair gleamed against the light. The tips of which was dyed black. His eyes were two different colors, one being a deep gold, and the other an electric blue.

The man looked around the shop curiously, his eyes coming to rest on a rack of hats. They all had a blue pinetree in the middle. The blonde grinned, showing off his sharp canines. Nobody seemed to notice or care when he glided out without a word.

The Pines family didn't know it yet, but they were in for one _hell_ of a ride.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear GOD I'm so sorry! This took soooo long to finally finish. But hey I did! And if you're wondering why there's like... Almost no plot, it's because I needed to establish Dipper's character the most. And hey I got a Bill description in there! Go me!


	2. Cipheres the Salesman

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a small recovery period, Dipper gets back to work at the shack, only to meet a strange man called Cipheres. A man who seems to show up in his dreams...

 

 

> _Dipper was floating. Well, kind of. He was in a vast, empty space. Everything was black, but Dipper wasn't afraid. He looked at his hands only to find he couldn't see them. He was perfectly content in this bliss, when the setting changed._

_'He was in a bar, a beer in his hand. Weird. He was still too young to be drinking. But hey! It was a dream so who cared? As he raised to bottle to his lips the brunette noticed a flurry of yellow as someone sat next to him. It was a man, with blond hair and black tips. The man smiled at Dipper, offering his hand. "Hello, I'm Cipheres, it's wonderful to meet you." The brunette took his hand, smiling as well. "Hi! I'm Dipper Pines." He couldn't shake the nagging feeling that he knew this man somehow, but he tried to ignore it. They struck up a conversation, which was very lucid. Dipper wasn't used to having such vivid dreams, but he wrote it off as his mind working in overdrive.  
Cipheres had a smooth voice, like honey on a hot summer day. It was sweet and pleasant to listen to. Soon Dipper found himself lulled by the smooth words of the blond, and failed to noticed how his dream world crumbled. The bar was the first to go, melting into a disgusting pool of... Oh god was that blood?! Dipper snapped to attention only to see Cipheres grinning evilly, his once charming eyes now ablaze with an evil light. The patrons went next, screaming in agony as they were turned inside out. Then the chairs, tabels, bar stools. Some one was laughing. Laughing and laughing. Dipper soon realized it was him who was laughing. His laugh was high and cold, like a madman. Then the floor disappeared, and Dipper fell, screaming the whole way.'_

Dipper shot up, the scream dying on his lips as he did. He was breathing heavily, and a shuffling outside his door told him he had woken his sister. What was that?  
That dream had been so... Vivid. He remembered every detail, which was what worried him so. Mabel opened the door, stepping inside quietly. "Dipper? Are you ok? I heard you screaming."  
Dipper looked over at her, turning on the nightlight on his bed stand. "Yeah I'm fine... Just a nightmare is all." He patted a space on the bed which Mabel took. "Do you wanna talk about it?" Her brother shook his head.  
"Nah Mabel, it's fine. It just surprised me is all. It's not as bad as the time I tried to launch myself out of the window. I promise."

Mabel giggled, ruffling her brother's hair affectionatley. "Ok Dip-Dop. Just remember your sister's here to fight off any bad dreams for you!"  
Dipper laughed and nudged her arm playfully, his demeanor relaxing. "I know Mabes. Now let's get some sleep yeah?"  
"No-can-do Dip! It's already 6:00 am!"  
"What?!" Sure enough, when Dipper looked at the clock, it read 6:05. The brunette groaned and prepared himself for a long day of his first day back at work.

Why oh why had he decided to move here instead of going to college?! His back screamed in pain as he brought the axe down again, chopping the wood neatly in half. He had been at this for nearly two hours, and he was dying.  
Why on earth he had to chop wood in the summer was anyone's guess, but why on the hottest day of the year?!

Dipper stopped for a moment to tear off his red t-shirt, tossing it in a ball to the side. He picked up the axe and went back to work, ignoring the giggles of girls as they passed by to enter the shop.  
"He's a fit one isn't he?" More giggles. "Yeah! Damn I'd lick that." Dipper repressed a shudder. Is this what girls dealt with all the time? He felt a newfound appreciation for Mabel's complaints about the snide comments on her body when she so much as walked down the street.

Finally. _Finally_. After three hours of painstaking labor, Dipper was allowed to take a break. The young man lounged about outside, sipping a soda, when a shadow loomed over him. "Excuse me?" Dipper nearly spit out his soda. That was the voice from his dream.

The man didn't seem to notice Dipper's mild panic and the brunet straightened up. "Y-yes?" "Could you ah-help me please? I have some wares for the shack and I'm afraid I cannot lift them." He shrugged his graceful shoulders. He repressed the panic that threatened him and nodded silently.

The blond glided along as Dipper followed him, carrying the large and heavy box that had been handed to him.  
'What on earth is even in these?' Dipper wondered, setting it down in storage and dusting off his hands.

The man smiled graciously, his strange eyes flashing. "Thank you, I appreciate your help. The name's Cipheres, but you may call me Cipher." Cipher held out a gloved hand, which the Pines twin wearily took. "Dipper, Dipper Pines."  
After that, the man hastily glided out, making almost no sound. He was like a ghost.  
Dipper adjusted his eyepatch and moved on to polish the ridiculously expensive snowglobes.

Despite the fact that Stan had thought that Dipper's messed up eye and scars would be a good attraction, Mabel had made him an eyepatch. It was white with a blue pinetree and blue straps. Figures she'd model it after his old hat. But the patch wasn't big enough to cover the long pink scars that were going across his eye. Not that he minded much. His eye was a milky white, and looked like a marble, cloudy and glassy.

"Hey Dip-Dop!" Dipper looked up to see Mabel coming towards him with a grin on her face. "What's up Mabel?" He asked, setting down the snowglobe he'd been cleaning."Wendy invited us to hang out at the new joint in town! It's supposed to be really cool! Pleaaaase Dipper pleaaaase?" Mabel made puppy eyes at him. Oh come on how was he supposed to say no to that? "Ok ok! I'll be right there just lemme take a quick shower and get changed."

His sister cheered and the exhasperated Pines twin trudged up to his room, chuckling all the way.

Mabel had been right about one thing.

This joint was _fricking cool._

It had an arcade, a bar, a lounge, and a freaking _indoor pool_.  
Wendy and the others were all hanging around in the lounge, laughing and talking. They all quieted down when the twins entered.

"Hey guys!" Mabel said cheerfully, only to get picked up in a bone-crushing hug from Wendy. "Hey Mabes!" Then she grabbed Dipper, who fought to breath. "Ay Dipper!" "Hey Wendy!" Dipper replied after catching his breath. "Good to see you!"

Wendy grinned. "You too man! Hey, what happened to your eye?" The others had gone back to talking, ignoring the events in front of them. "Oh uh... It kinda got... Clawed out?"  
The red-head's eyes widened. "What? Have a seat you guys gotta tell me everything!"

"Woah..." Wendy sat there, stunned after the twin's recounting of what had happened. "That's... Freakin' epic!"  
Dipper chuckled nervously, blushing a bit. He hadn't expected praise on his weird injury. Damn why was it so itchy?

He reached up to scratch it, flinching back when pain seared through it. "Ow!" Mabel looked over at him worriedly. "You ok?"  
"Yeah yeah just... Hurt for a second. I'm fine." Dipper said, shrugging it off.

Wendy didn't seem to mind as she sipped a soda. "So you guys wanna go check out the arcade?" "Hells yeah!" They said enthusiastically, grinning.  
She chuckled and turned to her friends. "Any of you guys?" Robbie raised his hand. "I'll come." "Great!"

Not great.

Robbie clearly hadn't gotten over his dislike of Dipper, even though it had no basis now. This was made clear when the man kept challenging Dipper to games and being fiercely competitive.

"Dammit!" The ravenette swore when Dipper won. "You only have one eye how the hell are you doing this?!" Dipper shrugged. "Practice. Lots of it."  
Robbie snorted and shook his head. "Yeah whatever." Dipper glanced over at Mabel and Wendy, who were engaged in an aggressive competition of Fight Fighters.

"Didn't a crazy dude from that game try to kill me once?" Dipper couldn't help but burst out laughing. "What's so funny?" Robbie asked irritably. "I-it's just... I remember how terrified you looked!"  
The young man rolled his eyes and shoved Dipper. "Shut the hell up twerp." Dipper held on to the air hockey tabel to regain his breath.

The girls had wandered over in the meantime. "What's so funny bro?" Mabel asked curiously.  
"I was just remembering the time when the video game guy from Fight Fighters tried to beat up Robbie."

Mabel blinked twice before cracking up, sending Dipper back into peals of laughter. Robbie sulkily watched them, and Wendy just smiled.

After a few hours of screwing around, the twins said their farewells and left. "Hey Dipper?" "Hm?" "We should get some food on the way back." Dipper looked at her. "Why?"  
Mabel rolled her eyes. "You kinda ate half the fridge."  
  
Oh. Right.

After grabbing all the things they needed, the twins made their way back to the shack, bags slung over their arms or in their hands.  
Unfortunately since Dipper was so deep in conversation with Mabel he failed to notice the man walking towards him until he ran smack into his chest.

"Ow!" He yelped as he fell on his ass, the bag landing a few feet away from him. "O-oh god I'm so sorry! I didn't see y-you and-" Dipper stopped in his tracks, staring up at the stranger in front of him. Mabel was in a stunned silence next to him, just as shocked as he was. Though it was probably due to his clumsiness.

Cipheres smiled down at Dipper pleasantly, holding out a hand for him to take. "It's quite alright Dipper, we all get clumsy sometimes." The brunet nodded and took his hand, getting up. He grabbed his bag, face flushed with embarrasment.

Mabel stared at the two of them, her mouth slightly open. "Dipper you _know_ this guy?!" It just occurred to him how utterly friggin rich Cipher must look, what with his tailored clothes and gold earrings. How had he not noticed them before? They were little triangles, dangling from his ears.

Before he could answer Mabel's question, Cipher stepped in. "Why yes. He helped me move some merchandise the other day. You've got a strong brother." Mabel was nearly drooling at this point, staring at Cipher's face with stars in her eyes. Oh no. Oh _no_. Please don't let Mabel have a crush on him.

"Yeah... My brother's like that." She let out a high pitched giggle that made Dipper cringe. She sounded just like when she was twelve and love-struck. Hoo boy.

Cipher smiled knowingly, his eyes flashing red for a second. It was so fast Dipper could've easily missed it. But he didn't, and it deeply unsettled him. "Anyway, I assume you have to be getting back? I hope to see you around, Dipper." He put a hand on the boys shoulder and his thumb trailed over the pocket on his shirt before he drew back and disappeared into the crowd.

"Oh my god he was so hot! I'm so mad I didn't get his number- Dipper are you even listening?" "Hm? Yeah, yeah." Truth be told, Dipper had tuned her out ten minutes ago. He loved his sister, he really did, but he couldn't stand it when she had a crush. "You're not listening." She pouted, looking away. That was fine, at least he'd get some peace and quiet now.

Back at the shack the twins had finished putting away the groceries, so they grabbed a pizza and planted themselves in front of the couch, soon joined by the Stans. They popped in some old episodes of Ducktective and settled down to watch.

After the fifth episode started, Dipper felt his eyelids getting heavy. A few seconds of shut-eye wouldn't hurt... He slowly drifted off, the darkness of sleep swallowing him up.

_He was sitting in Greasy's, sipping a soda. His sister was across from him, chatting animatedly. He smiled softly, letting out a soft sigh. Someone slid in the booth next to him, bumping him over a bit. "Hello again Dipper~" The brunet looked over at Cipher, a smile playing on his lips. "Hey." Mabel grinned and started off into a story, which both men listened to with rapt attention. Suddenly Mabel's voice started to fade... Like an old radio, just backround noise. "Say Dipper, how long do you think I can play this game with you hm?" Dipper looked over at Cipher with confusion. "What do you mean?" "I mean, how long will it take for you to realize, Pine Tree?"  
Dipper's blood went cold, and his eyes widened. Cipher grinned, and Mabel started to laugh. When Dipped looked at her, he nearly screamed. There was blood pouring from her mouth like a cascade, and her eyes were red, glittering like rubies. Her skin seemed to be tighter, pulling against her bone structure until it cracked, and she fell into a bloody heap. Cipher grabbed Dipper's face, his handsome features twisting. Now his pupils were slits, his teeth were razor sharp, and his top hat was floating. "Didja' miss me?" His voice was high and electronic, like it was being put through a synthesizer. "N-no! It can't be you! W-we k-killed you!" Cipher, or, Bill, laughed cruelly. "Come on now! Just because you freed their souls and erased me from reality doesn't mean you killed me! You just held me up for a while!" The demon cackled, and his dream was engulfed in blue flames._

Dipper shot up, causing Mabel to fall away from him with a groan, but he was too panicked to notice. He hugged his knees to his chest, breathing heavily. Ford sat up, rubbing his eyes while Stan slept on. Figures. "Dipper? What's wrong?" Mabel was looking at him with concern as well. "I-I... I had a dream... About Bill."

After much poking and prodding from Ford and Mabel, Dipper told them about the horrible dream, getting choked up at the part were Mabel died. "Are you sure it wasn't just a dream?" "Yes! No! I-I don't know!" He said miserably, burying his face in his knees again. Ford pat his back sympathetically. "Just take some sleeping pills and go to bed. We can work on some dream magic when I finish the warding spell to try and get rid of this dreams, alright?" He clearly didn't think that this meant anything dire. 

Dipper nodded weakly, smiling when his sister ruffled his hair as he passed. He took the pills, putting them on his tounge then downing them with a cup of water. The tired boy trudged off to bed, collapsing on the soft mattress and falling into a blissfully dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ayyyyyy! I did it! I finished another chapter in the time space of... Like a day? I think? About? Yeah p much. I'm on a roll! And this chapter's a bit longer than the last one! Also I know the tags say Demon Dipper, but you'll see why soon enough. ;) 
> 
> -Shiva


	3. Warm Faces and Phone Numbers

Dipper awoke to an annoying itch on the left side of his chest, like something was scratching him. He sat up and reached in his front shirt pocket. He hadn't gotten changed last night after all.

He felt around until his finger brushed something and he pulled it out, seeing that it was a slip of paper with a phone number on it. Under that it read,  
'Just in case -Cipher'. Jeez, had that creep given Dipper his number? He made a mental note to pass it on to Mabel later, after asking him what the hell that was about.

After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Dipper was about to go downstairs. Then his eyes started to hurt. I'm not talking regular run of the mill stinging either.  
His eye felt like it was on _fire_.

Dipper stumbled back into the bathroom, slamming the door. He ripped off his eyepatch and stared in horror at his eye. Black veins had started to creep inside his glassy white eye, and they weren't stopping.

His head started to ache, a searing pain shooting through his skull like a bullet. He wasn't aware that he had fallen to the floor until he felt the cold tiles on his skin. Dipper laid there for a while, and tried to regain his breath.

Without warning, the pain stopped. The Pines twin sat up slowly, groaning softly. "What the fuck was that?" The brunet wondered to himself, grabbing his eyepatch and securing it around his head. He was gonna have to talk to Grunkle Ford about this.

He stumbled downstairs, sitting down at the tabel weakly. "Hey bro bro!" Mabel said, dancing past him with a plate of bacon. "You look like shit, what's wrong?" Dipper rolled his eyes. "Gee thanks Mabes. And I just... Had a headache is all. I'm fine. Now is that pancakes I smell?"

Mabel grinned and placed the plate of bacon in front of Dipper. "You bet it is!" Suddenly, a large, golden, and fluffy pancake fell onto Dipper's plate, making the young man's mouth water.

"This looks amazing Mabel!" He said, drowning it in syrup and digging in. Mabel laughed and sat down next to her brother, nudging his shoulder. "Glad you like it bro bro!" Ford walked in, adjusting his glasses and writing something down while Stan plopped down in his seat, grabbing a generous amount of bacon.

Dipper's excitement faded when he saw his grunkles. He finished his food and stood up. "Um Ford... Can I talk to you... In private?" His grunkle looked at him in bewilderment but nodded, leading Dipper out of the kitchen. He tried to ignore the burning stares of his sister and Stan.

"What's the matter Dipper?" Ford asked him worriedly, putting his hand on the brunet's shoulder. Dipper looked away, biting his lip. "It's about my eye... Something happened earlier..." "What?! Show me!" The Pines twin nodded and took off his eyepatch, trying hard to meet Ford's eyes and failing.

"What on earth-?" His grunkle said, bewildered. "There's nothing I can do at the moment. But I will research this, ok?" Dipper nodded, putting his eyepatch back on. "Please refrain from informing my brother and Mabel of this until we know what it is." He nodded and went back into the kitchen, smiling sheepishly at Mabel. "It was nothing after all." He lied easily. Why was it suddenly so easy to lie to her?

Dipper shook it off and helped Mabel do the dishes, joking around with her until she relaxed, which resulted in them both getting covered in soap and water, laughing madly. They both raced eachother upstairs to the shower, stumbling over eachother's feet. And Dipper was happy. Happy to just enjoy time with his sister. Even when she won the race.

A few minutes later, Dipper was in the shower, relaxing under the hot water. His eye only stung slightly when the liquid touched it, thankfully. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall, letting his arms hang limp.

_Hands. There were hands all over him. In his hair, on his chest, holding his arms, and covering his eye. They were pulling, pulling him down... Down... Into an inky blackness that swallowed him up._

Dipper's eyes flew open and he tensed up instantly, sighing and running a hand through his hair. What was going on? He was so confused...

After showering, Dipper got dressed, looking at himself in the mirror. The scars across his eye were now a light pink, making the black veins stand out more. He noticed that they were creeping down his cheek now too, like a spreading infection. The young man shook his head and put his eyepatch on, hoping that Ford would figure it out.

Since it was so hot, he and Mabel decided to grab some popsicles. The two sat down on the porch and started to idly chat. "Say Dipper... That guy from yesterday. Can you tell me more about him?"

Dipper groaned internally, not wanting to indulge in Mabel's boy-crush. But he did anyway, because he loved her.  
"Well he's a gentleman... And he makes no sound when he walks... It's kinda freaky. The guy also gave me his number." Dipper held up the slip of paper between his index and middle fingers. Making his sister's eyes widen.

"What?! Lucky! Why'd he give it to you?" Dipper shrugged. "I have no clue Mabes. He slipped it in my front pocket yesterday. "Want it?" Mabel shook her head violently, stars in her eyes. "Dipper! What if he _likes_ you?!" Nevermind. He took it back. He wanted _very much_ to indulge in Mabel's boy-crush. It was better than _this._

Throughout the years she'd tried matchmaking him with multiple people of multiple genders. It never worked out well. For either party.

Dipper groaned and facepalmed, looking and feeling like he wanted to die. "Mabel no! He probably just gave it out of courtesy!" "You should call him and find out!" It was amazing how fast Mabel got over crushes honestly, but right now Dipper was cursing it. And her damn _puppy eyes!_

"Mmmnnn... _fine_! But if he gets mad I'm blaming you!" His sister cheered and dragged him inside, up to their room. Presumably for privacy. Dipper grabbed his cell phone from his desk and turned it on, looking at the number and typing it in, glancing up to see Mabel shaking with excitement.

He called the number, still looking at Mabel. After a few rings Cipher picked up. "Hello~?" He asked, his voice rough, like he'd just woken up. Which was weird as it was a bit past noon by now. But whatever. "Hey, it's Dipper." There was a rustling sound from the other end before Cipher replied. "Ah! Dipper! What a surprise, why have you called?"

Mabel nodded at him encouragingly, and Dipper sighed. "I actually called to ask why you gave me your number anyway, we've only met twice." The male chuckled at Dipper's words, making the brunet narrow his eyes in annoyance. "Why I gave you my number? Why do you think~?" He had a flirty tone of voice, making Dipper flush red. "I-I uh w-well-" He was cut off by Cipher's laughter again. "But in all honesty, I just wanted to get to know you better is all, so I gave it to you in hopes we'd get to talk again."

Dipper nodded, still blushing. "I-I see... T-that makes sense..." Shit shit shit! How was he gonna end this call? It was so awkward. But Cipheres seemed to have that covered. "As pleasant as this chat is, I'm afraid I have business to attend to, but I hope we meet again." Dipper sighed in relief. "Y-yeah! A-absolutely! Y-you get on with that!" He hastily ended the call, only to be bombarded with questions by his sister.

"Oh my god what'd he say? Huh huh? Dipper did he _flirt_ with you?" "W-what Mabel no! He told me he gave it to me because he wanted to get to know me is all!" Mabel gave him a knowing smile. "Well it's not like you blushed for no reason~! Now spill!"

After a bit more prodding, the male Pines twin told his story, cringing when Mabel squealed. "OH MY GOD DIPPER HE LIKES YOU~!" "Wha-? Mabel I- NO. No. He doesn't _like_ me!" Mabel didn't believe him. "Mhmmm and frogs have fairy wings! Ooooh! You should ask him out!" "NO! Mabel god no! That can't end well! I don't even trust the guy!" "Why not? He seems perfectly nice!"

Dipper sighed and looked away for a second. "Well... Uh... He...showed up in my dreams. Twice. Before I met him." Mabel raised her eyebrows. "Oooooh prophecy dreams!" "No-! Ah-Mabel!" Dipper stuttered, trying to find the words. "They were nightmares!" He told her about them, hastily explaining the dreams as best as he could. Which sobered Mabel up. "All the more reason to get to know him though!" She said, after a moments hesitation.

Dammit.

She had a point.

Dipper nodded and sighed, looking at his sister affectionatley. "Yeah... Ok I'll ask if he wants to meet for coffee, maybe I can learn a bit more about him..." His sister cheered and punched his arm. "Yeaaah! That's the spirit bro bro! You're gonna be fine!"

The two spent the rest of their day lazing around and avoiding work. It was a nice day for the twins, a bonding day. And as the day came to a close. The Pines wished eachother good night and stumbled sleepily to their rooms. When Dipper closed the attic door, he saw his cell-phone and sighed.

He made his way over, picked it up, and called Cipheres.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woooo I finished this chapter! I'm sorry it took so long! Anyway, if you're wondering how to pronounce 'Cipheres' it's
> 
> Psy-fear-ease
> 
> Hoped that cleared things up! 
> 
> See ya in the next chapter!
> 
> Also I made an instagram for this fic! 
> 
> You can submit art, ask questions, and see my progress! 
> 
> It's called demons_heart_is_black_as_night!


	4. A Date Goes Horribly, Horribly wrong.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dipper goes on a date! It doesn't end well.

This had to be the  _worst_  decision of Dipper's life.

Dipper had a date with Cipheres. Sort of.

He kept telling himself that it was just a friendly way to get to know this guy better, but his mind betrayed him. Doubts and worries crept in like an infection, spreading across his thoughts.

What if Cipheres was Bill?

If not, what was he?

Nobody has naturally golden eyes!

But what about contacts?

He wasn't wearing any! I would know!

But why? Were you looking at his eyes long enough to tell?

Shut up!

He shook his head, dispersing the thoughts into the corners of his mind. It was fine. It was gonna be fine.

"DIPPER!" Mabel barged into his room, holding a suit and dozens of hair products. Oh god.

After about an hour with his hair, Mabel gave up and just snapped his eyepatch on, using foundation and concealer to cover up the scars and black veins poking out from under the patch. She'd had the courtesy not to ask why those were there just yet.

Next came the suit.

It fit him surprisingly well actually. He spun around, looking at himself from all the angles he could see. He had to say he looked pretty decent. His sister finished it off with a red tie. Dipper nodded in approval. "It looks amazing Mabes." Mabel seemed to agree.

Now all the preparations were done, and it was time to meet Cipher. Dipper's hands were clenched into fists to stop them from shaking, but it didn't help much. The brunet stepped out of the shack to see Cipheres leaning against his _very_  fancy car. He was wearing a suit as well. It was golden with black trimmings. He had a tailcoat as well, which looked quite good somehow. His hair was styled to sweep over his golden eye, making him look almost normal.

Dipper blushed in spite of himself as he made his way over, forcing a smile onto his face. "H-hey..." "Hello Dipper. You look lovely." The blond replied smoothly, making Dipper blush more in light of the compliment. "T-thanks!" The taller male smiled at him and opened the passenger side door. "Shall we?" "Uh y-yeah!" Dipper cursed his own awkwardness as he stepped inside the car.

After a ten-minute car ride, the pair had arrived at the restaurant, which was slightly out of town. It was very fancy, but not so much that Dipper was seriously intimidated. Bill-er-Cipheres opened the door, letting Dipper step out. The pair made their way to the large double doors, going inside.

The waitress smiled at them sweetly. "Hello! How many?" "Actually I have a reservation." The blond said smoothly, and Dipper just shut his trap. "Oh! Under what name?" "Cipher." The waitress checked it and nodded. "Alright! Follow me!" She led them towards their tabel, sitting them down and giving them menus. "Thanks!" Dipper said, and she left.

After ordering their food and drinks, the two started to chat. "Do you have a last name or do you just go by Cipheres?" Dipper joked, making the other male chuckle. "No no I just don't like my last name. It doesn't fit me." "Oh! Alright." Dipper dropped the subject.

Soon they got on the topic of the supernatural. "Do you believe in paranormal things?" The brunet asked, looking at him expectantly. "Yes, very much so. Hard to doubt personal experience."

Dipper's eyes widened in surprise. "You've seen the supernatural?!" He asked excitedly, before quieting down and looking embarrased. Cipher seemed to find this amusing, as he softly laughed. "Yes I have, have you?"   
Dipper nodded enthusiastically, and launched into a story about his encounter with the gnomes, which Cipher listened to with rapt attention.

After trading a few stories back and forth, Dipper felt himself relax. This guy was alright. He felt ashamed for ever doubting it. He thought that maybe, if Cipher wanted to, they could even become friends.

Dipper got home at around 10:00 P.M, bone tired. Who knew that just talking could make someone so tired? The brunet stumbled inside, not bothering to say hello to his grunkles. He finally got to his room and collapsed onto the bed, only to hear his door opening again and having Mabel tackle him out of the bed.

"DIPPER! YOU GOTTA TELL ME EVERYTHING!" Dipper groaned and tried to struggle free. "Ok ok just _get off_  jesus christ!" Mabel giggled but climbed off of him. "Sorry Dip-dop!"

Dipper sighed and sat up, starting off in a long-winded play-by-play of what had happened.

"Woah!" Mabel said, with stars in her eyes. "You didn't totally mess up the date!" "Gee thanks Mabes. No but really, he seems pretty alright. Maybe I'm being paranoid for nothing." " _Clearly_!" Mabel said exhasperatedly, making Dipper laugh.

They talked for a little while, until Dipper really felt like he was about to pass out, and his sister let him get some sleep. He yanked off the suit jacket and shoes, before falling onto the bed and going to sleep.

"BEEP BEEP BEEP WAKE UP BRO BRO!"   
Dipper groaned, weakly opening his eyes to see his sister leaning over him with a tooth smile. "C'mon get up! It's already 9:00 am!" "What?!" Dipper leapt out of bed and ran to get dressed while Mabel laughed at his panic. "I'm gonna be late for my shift!"

Turns out he had worried for nothing, as Ford wanted to take them out for magic lessons that day. "We're going to be working on dream magic today, so Dipper can sort out his nightmares." Dipper let out a sigh of relief. No more nightmares about Bill, thank god.

"Now this is a complicated spell, so it will be difficult for you two to master. So don't get discouraged if you don't get it right away!" The twins nodded hastily, eager to get started. Magic lessons where their favorite activity. Even Mabel, who was always bubbly and energetic, got super serious and focused when she worked with magic.

Ford showed them the handmovement required to do this sheilding spell, which was used to protect one's mind from creating nightmares. It didn't help against external forces though. To do this spell the twins had to make their hands into fists, pull them to their sides, and shoot them forwards, palms facing the trees in front of them.

Mabel did it first, but nothing happened. She tried a few more times with no luck. Ford reassured her that this was a highly diffcult spell because the mind was so complicated or something to that extent.

Dipper tuned him out as he tried to focus; tried to feel that familiar tug of magic in his gut. There! He held on to it, pulled his fists back, and shot out his arms, palms facing the trees. At first nothing happened, then Dipper's vision turned hazy blue and he stumbled back due to the spell's recoil.

The young man was dimly aware of Ford's stunned silence, but he was too busy rubbing his eyes to rid them of the bule haze. "Dipper? How did you do that?!" Mabel asked, clearly not half as concerned as Ford was. Dipper shook his head, baffled. "I don't know! I just... Did it?"

Ford kneeled down in front of Dipper, who realized he was sitting on the ground. "How _did_  you do that?" "I really don't know!" The brunet insisted, and Ford dropped it. "Fine. Maybe it was a fluke. Mabel, keep working on the spell. Dipper, do the same." The twins nodded and went to work practicing the spell while their six-fingered grunkle went inside to think.

After another hour, Mabel had the spell down too, and both twins cast it on themselves. "I feel safer already!" Dipper joked, and Mabel laughed.

Since they were done, the sibilngs decided to grab some soda's and lounge around a bit. Dipper was listening idly to Mabel talk when he felt a gloved hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see... Cipheres? The handsome man looked a bit panicked. "Dipper, I need your help for a second, please!" Dipper and Mabel's eyes met, both filled with confusion. Dipper had never seen Cipheres this panicked!

"Please!" The man insisted, and Dipper nodded. "Yes of course! I'll be back Mabes!" "Ok..." Mabel's lack of protest was a little surprised but she probably noticed something was wrong. Thank god for smart sisters. He barely put down his soda when Cipheres dragged him away into the woods.

As soon as they cleared the tree line Dipper realized something was very, _very_  wrong. Cipheres stopped and turned to face Dipper, looking a bit amused now. "Oh Dipper... Always playing the hero... It's kind of adorable actually..." "What- Cipheres what are you talking about?"

Cipher gave him an evil grin and slammed him into the nearest tree, the impact rattling his skull. "I _mean_ , that you're so blind... You barely know me and you let me drag you off into the woods? Haven't I taught you better, _Pintree_?"

Dipper's blood ran cold.

Cipheres was Bill.

This was what he'd feared the whole time. Bill was back, and he had Dipper alone and defensless. And he'd played him for a fool.  Oh god, he was gonna die wasn't he?

His utter terror must have been pretty obvious as Bill laughed madly, throwing his head back and exposing his razor sharp teeth. "Kid your are too much! Hah! You think I'm here to kill you? I wouldn't even bother with your sorry ass if I didn't need something from you, or you were a potential threat to me! You happen to fit both descriptions!"

What? How could he have anything Bill wanted? Much less be a threat to him! The demon seemed to notice his confusion, as he sighed and relaxed a bit. "Kid... You have no idea do you? The black veins, magical fluctuations, weird dreams. Doesn't that seem odd?" "Of course it does! What are you getting at here?!" Dipper demanded, finally getting his voice back.

Bill sighed deeply, looking at Dipper with what seemed to be... Sympathy? "Kid... I think you've been cursed by a demon."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes yikes yiiiikes! I'm so sorry that I haven't posted in a while but finishing chapters is pretty hard when you have writers block and are travelling all over the place! But here it is! :D


	5. Demons, Guns, And A Whole Lotta Magic!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill's actually helpful for once and it all goes to shit.

No

Nononononono

This could _not_  be happening.

Dipper stared at Bill with horror on his face. "No... There's no way..." "Oh but there is kid. And a magically potent human getting cursed like that? That kind of power in the wrong hands..." Bill licked his lips and grinned evilly. Dipper noticed that his tounge was freakishly long and pointed at the end. Yikes.

"How do I reverse it?" He asked, trying to keep calm. Which was really hard when you had a dead-not-dead dream demon with a human form pinning you to a tree and telling you that you were basically screwed.

Bill laughed cruelly, leaning forwards until their noses touched. "You can't. This far into the curse? It's like ripping out a part of your soul." Fuck.

"What do I do?! What'll happen?!" Dipper was panicked now, and starting to breath heavily. Bill backed off, moving his hand away from Dipper's throat. "Woah kid! Calm down jeez! That's why I'm here! I really don't want that kinda power running loose in someone who runs around like a headless chicken!" Dipper took offense to that!

Bill gripped Dipper's shoulders tightly, looking dead into his eyes. When had his eyepatch come off? "Calm. Down. I will help you through this but you need to _breathe_." For some bizarre reason, this assurance actually calmed him down, and his breathing evened out. "Ok? You good kid? I really hate being nice."

Dipper silently nodded and Bill let go, that snarky grin finding it's way back onto his face. "Great! Now let's start by explaining everything to Sixer eh?" "NO!" The brunet shouted, his eyes widened in panic. "Don't do that! He'll flip his shit!" "Pinetree! Language!" Bill tittered, oblivious to Dipper's worry. "If we tell him he'll kill you and then it'll all go to hell!" Dipper shouted again, shaking from his panic. Why did this damn demon have to come and ruin everything?! Bill seemed to ponder this before nodding. "Fair enough kid. But I still have to teach ya to control your powers. How do you propose I do that?"

"No." "But maybe-" " _No_." Bill sighed and let his hands fall to his sides. "It's our only option!" "I am _not_  letting you work for Grunkle Stan! No way in the seven hells!" "You don't want to kill someone or cause massive destruction do you? It's a small price to pay!" Dipper looked at him with rage in his eyes, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles turned white. "Ok fine. How about I just become his supplier and get him refills when he needs more products?" Dipper sighed and ruffled his hair. "Fine. But if anything goes wrong-" "It's my fault I know."

After this talk, Bill said farewell and disappeared into the woods, laughing madly as he left. Dipper stood there for about five minutes, then broke down. He collapsed onto the ground and hugged himself, shaking with terror. Tears streamed down his cheeks and he tried to muffle his sobs. It had been 6 years and yet he was still utterly terrified of what Bill could do. He'd almost taken Dipper's soul after all.

It took him a good half hour to calm down and get up again. He grabbed his eyepatch and put it on, wiping away his tears and brushing himself off. With a false demeanor of calmness, Dipper headed back to his sister, who demanded to know everything.

"He just needed my help carrying some stuff. Same as last time." Dipper lied through his teeth. Mabel raised her eyebrows. "If you won't tell me what really happened, at least tell me what the hell is up with those black veins." Dipper gently touched them and looked away. "I don't know..." He lied again, but it was only a half-lie. He knew what caused them, just not what exactly they were for or did.

Mabel seemed to accept that explanation, and left it. The two went inside, chattering idly. But Dipper felt a lingering sense of dread. What would happen now? What did Bill really want? Dipper settled in bed with these thoughts still swirling in his head when someone sat down next to him on the bed. It was dark so he couldn't see but he moved to sit up. The person shoved him down and covered his mouth with a hand.

"Relax kid it's just me!" Dipper relaxed a bit but then tensed up again. He sat up and shoved Bill's hands away. "Why are you here?" "Well I wanted to tell you some things!" Bill said happily, his eyes glowed faintly in the dark. It was kind of beautifully creepy.

Dipper shook his head a bit and shoved those thoughts hastily away. "What things?" "Well I thought I should warn you about what's gonna start happening!" "What do you mean?" Dipper asked suspiciously. "Since you've been cursed by a demon, you're going to be experiencing some changes. Such as, your morals becoming more ambiguous, your magic being more potent, your temper getting worse, and you might become a little sadistic. On the up side, you won't be as tired, weak, or slow!" "What?! There are side effects?!" Dipper groaned and buried his face in his hands, feeling hopeless. "Yeah! But don't worry kid, I'll help ya with 'em!" Bill said confidently, which only reassured Dipper a little.

After talking to Dipper a little more about all the stuff that was going to happen, the demon left, leaping out of the window with amazing grace. Little did the two know that someone had been watching there little exchange the entire time, and was formulating a plan.

The veins weren't getting better. And it was getting harder to hide Cipheres' true nature from his family. One time he had to physically drag him out of the Shack before he ripped a rude customer to literal shreds. But despite all that, Dipper was still somewhat greatful for the help with his curse.

But there was still something Bill wouldn't explain, the veins. Every time Dipper asked, Bill would change the topic or ignore him. They were getting denser every day, making his eye steadily blacker. The ones on his cheeks were creeping down his neck now, but Mabel let him use concealer and foundation to cover it.

Today was another meeting with Bill. "So what are we doing today?" Dipper asked curiously. "Today we're going to discover your demonic magic!" "W-what?" Dipper asked, confused. "Demonic magic. It's the magic that a demon naturally has. Like my flames. Since you're cursed, and you seem to have adopted alot of demonic traits as well, you should have some too!"

Ok, Dipper had to admit.

That was kind of cool.

Bill was surprisingly patient with teaching him, leading him through the steps of finding it. "Close your eyes, go deep into yourself. You feel that magic tug? Ignore it, shove it aside. Feel what's beneath that. Feel the flames licking your very soul. You feel that power? Grab it. Focus it on the palm of your hand. A small amount is enough."

Dipper did as he said, focusing the burning energy on his palm. Without warning, black flames engulfed his hand. They didn't hurt; instead they felt... Nice. They were pleasantly cool, and seemed to be waiting for orders.

"Excellent! Now order them to burn up that log there, but nothing else. You need to be able to control them totally. You should get it first try, but it will be hard. It gets easier as time and as the curse advances. Controlling your magic is important because it will help you control the curse as well." Bill explained, looking excited. Dipper did not trust the demon, nor did he like him. But he had been very helpful, and he was Dipper's only hope right now. So he did as he was told.

The log burned in a matter of seconds. It withered away until even the ash was gone. But... Nothing else had even been touched. Dipper let out a massive sigh of relief and released the flames back into himself, collapsing onto the floor and groaning. "That was horrible!" Bill laughed and sat next to him. "Don't worry kid, it'll get better with time."

As much as Dipper didn't want to admit it, the demon was starting to grow on him slowly. He hadn't hurt anyone or tried to make any deals, and he'd been super helpful. Dipped smiled softly, and closed his eyes.

Bill smiled softly at Dipper. The boy was just too cute. But he worried too, could he really keep the curse at bay? Bill didn't want to say it, but he cared about the kid and his band of rugrats. Bill sighed and moved his hand to pet Dipper's hair, before feeling a gun being pressed to the back of his head. "Move another inch, and I'll blast you back into oblivion."

Bill froze.

Both Dipper and Bill's eyes widened, and Bill looking at Dipper with confusion. Dipper looked up and shock jolted through him.

It was Ford. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is short as fuck but I haven't posted in forever and I really wanted to get some content out there, So I'm really sorry! 
> 
> Remember to check out the instagram for this
> 
> a_demons_heart_is_black_as_night ! 
> 
> You can submit art, see art, and ask questions!


	6. Ford Fucks Everything Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It all goes to shit.
> 
>  
> 
> Hoo boy.

Dipper stared at his Grunkle with an open mouth. "Ford what-?" "Stand up slowly, or I'll blast you into oblivion." Now Bill knew he couldn't be killed by a normal gun, but he had a feeling that Ford had a gun that could. "Ok Fordsy, just don't get trigger happy." Dipper watched as the demon slowly stood up, looking at Dipper with alarm.

"Now come with me. You have some explaining to do." Dipper hastily stood up as well, feeling slightly sick. He held no love or trust for the demon, but some how, he knew that Bill was the only one who could help him, so what was he supposed to do?!

Ford completely ignored Dipper the whole way back to the shack, all his focus on Bill. When they reached said shack, Ford roughly shoved Bill into the kitchen and forced him to sit down, settling across from him and keeping the gun trained between his eyes. "Start talking."

Dipper sat down next to Bill, so he could tackle him or restrain him if things got bad. "What do you want me to say? It's not my story to tell." "Tell me how you got that body. Did you make it? Or did you posses someone?" "Neither actually. A powerful alchemist created this body for me in exchange for eternal life or something like that." The blonde waved a hand dismissively.

Ford narrowed his eyes but accepted it. "Dipper." The brunet wasn't sure if he was relived or terrified that his Grunkle had finally adressed him. "Why were you with this trash?" "Hey! I take offense to that!" A look from Ford shut the demon up. "Because... He was teaching me demon magic?" "WHAT?!" Ford roared, making both men flinch. "Ya see Fordsy ol' pal..." Bill stated, looking at Fords rage-filled face with mild worry. "The kid's been cursed, so I was teaching him demon magic to help contain it, right Dipper?" Bill looked nervously at Dipper and whispered, "Help me out here kid."

Dipper looked over at the old man and nodded, just as nervous as the demon next to him. "Yeah! He's the only one who can help so please don't shoot him yet?" "Yet?!" "Shut up." Bill glared at Dipper but did so. "It was that demon wasn't it?" Ford asked. "Unfortunately." The brunet sighed in relief that Ford had calmed down some.

"As much as I hate to admit it, Bill is currently the only one who can help, but that doesn't mean I trust him." Ford narrowed his eyes at Bill who childishly stuck out his tounge.

Something occured to Dipper and he spoke up. "How'd you even know it was Bill?" Ford looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I saw him around, and when I heard his name I just knew. I mean, _'Cipheres'?_ Seriously?" Dipper facepalmed at his own blind idiocy while Bill smiled nonchalantly. "I wasn't feeling creative." Dipper fought the urge to slam his head on the desk. Or even better, Bill's head. "Ey whoah! No need to get violent thoughts there kid!"

Ford glared at Bill pointedly. "How are you reading Dipper's mind? The barrier is still up. I know that a human vessel  lets you inside the shack, but not our heads!" Bill grinned nastily. "Because Dipper's not human~!" Ford instantly panicked. "What?! What are you talking about?! What did you do to-" "Ford!" Dipper interjected, causing the older man to shut up. "It wasn't Bill's fault... When that demon attacked me, it infected me with a demonic curse, and it's spread too far to be removed."

Ford sighed heavily. "You mentioned a curse earlier, but I thought it was just a normal curse!" "Nope! The kids pretty much half demon, isn't that swell?" Bill's voice dripped with sarcasm and Dipper rolled his eyes. "But this makes him incredibly powerful, and I didn't want a liability like that running around with no one to show him the ropes. As much as I _hate_  you Pines, I'd rather preserve reality."

Ford nodded, then seemed to remember something. "How are you even here? My brother blasted you to oblivion!" "Yeah about that... See he scattered my being, and I had to reform. Lemme tell ya, that was a pain in the ass." Ford glared at him as if to say: get on with it. "Anyway! I met an alchemist during this time, and he agreed to make me a body! I did it mostly because this would make it easier for my pieces to converge, it was an irregularity. Of course I appeared in Gravity Falls, I'm as good as stuck here! But then I saw Dipper and well... Plans changed."

Ford sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "So you're our only hope huh..." "Yep! Pretty much!" Bill grinned in a way that made Dipper fearful. He almost forgot how dangerous Bill actually was. "Alright fine, as long as you didn't make a deal with Dipper..." "Nope! Sadly..." Dipper disagreed with that statement, he was glad that Bill hadn't trapped him in a deal, but he felt nervous too, there were no rules protecting him. Bill could kill him if he so desired, would be easier.

Bill stared at Dipper incredulously. "Jeez kid you have some dark thoughts!" Dipper flinched, cursing himself for forgetting Bill's mind reading ability. Ford narrowed his eyes but said nothing. "I'll let you continue to train, on one condition, you must teach Mabel and myself magic as well. And Stan if he wants." Bill looked horrified. "No way! Teaching a half-demon magic is already hard enough, how the fuck do you expect me to teach humans?! Besides, don't you guys already know magic?!" "Not demon magic!" Dipper chimed in, earning a scathing look from Bill. "My final offer." Ford said stubbornly, and Dipper sighed. "Just do it, what's the worst that could happen?"

Turns out, setting the shack on fire.

Mabel had taken the news with Cipheres well, and had agreed to learn magic. "I need to be able to help my bro when he needs it." So Bill had been trying to teach Mabel fire control, but she'd overestimated her abilites and the fire got out of control, setting the shack ablaze. "OH GOD I'M SORRY WHAT DO WE DO OH GOD?!" Dipper tried to calm her down, which was odd for him. Usually it was the other way around! It was probably because of those side effects Bill mentioned. "OK! CALM DOWN SHOOTING STAR! WE JUST GOTTA USE SOME WATER MAGIC AND WE'LL BE FINE!" Bill shouted over the roaring fire, but he was pretty amused, bastard. "HOW DO WE DO THAT?!" Stan screamed, stumbling outside, looking frantic. Ford was silent, but his horrified expression said it all.

Bill looked apprehensive. "I'M A DREAM DEMON! WATER... ISN'T EXACTLY MY THING." "DO YOU AT LEAST KNOW A SPELL?!" Dipper screamed, now starting to panic himself. Bill nodded and conjured a piece of paper, handing it to Dipper. "ELEMENTAL MAGIC IS YOUR THING RIGHT?! TIME TO PRACTICE!" Dipper read out the incantation, causing a huge wave of water to erupt from his outstretched hand, landing smack dab on the shack and dousing the fire. Surprisingly, there was very little damage. "Jeez... Nice job kid..." Bill patted Dipper's back, looking exhasperated. "At least now you know why I hate teaching humans..."

Mabel fiddled with her sweater, looking guilty. "Don't look so down, demon magic is nearly impossible for a human to master, even one who specializes with chaos magic." Bill said it irritably, but it made Mabel cheer up a bit. "Could have been worse then!" She chirped, and the Grunkles just nodded numbly, still in shock. Dipper, on the other hand, was staring at Bill. Did he really just comfort Mabel? Since when did Bill Cipher, asshole extraordinaire, comfort people? Much less people he hated!

Bill looked over at Dipper and raised an eyebrow, causing the brunet to shrink back under the piercing gaze. "Because lack of confidence is annoying when it doesn't benefit me." He answered, finally looking away from Dipper. "Oh..." He said softly, before going over to Mabel. "Maybe we should take a break..."  
His sister nodded weakly and they headed inside.

Bill lounged around in the kitchen, picking between his teeth with his claws, which Dipper hadn't noticed till now. They were at least six inches, and razor sharp. He shivered, hoping he'd never be on the receiving end of them. Bill grinned at him and motioned him over.

Mabel watched Dipper nervously head over, and her gut twisted. She felt horrible that she couldn't help him out at all, that her brother was now caught in Cipher's web yet again. The Pines twin made her way over, stopping at the doorway to listen in.

"Listen kid, even though I'm helping you out here, it's not official. And as a demon, I don't do things for free. So hows about we make it a deal?" Mabel's heart froze, and she waited for her brother to answer. "I dunno Bill... Our last few deals haven't been all that great..." Dipper murmured, but he was considering it.

Bill flashed a shark-like grin, gently putting a clawed hand over Dipper's. "But this time there's no ulterior motive. I just want to make sure that you don't destroy us all. So whadda ya say? I teach you and your family magic and control, and in return you help me out with a little something?" He held out his hand, which was covered in blue flames.

Dipper took a deep breath and firmly shook his head. "No. I don't want to get screwed over by another one of your stupid deals." Bill looked at Dipper for a moment, then shrugged and put his hand down. "Ok. I'm not gonna force you." Mabel let out a sigh of relief and walked in. "Hey you two, I'm starving, wanna order takeout?"

"Heck yeah I do!" Dipper said, following Mabel out. As the twins laughed and joked, Bill looked at his hand, pondering. What was the emotion he'd felt when Dipper had refused his deal? Disappointment? No, this was different. It was like a swell in his chest, and a warm feeling in his gut. It dawned on the demon just what he'd felt.

_Pride._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is a thing... Sorry that it took me forever to write! But my friend was visiting and I had a lot on my plate. Oh well, it's here now!


	7. The Scientists Crippled Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter inside the mind of Ford. How does our paranoid scientist feel? Let's find out!

It'd been a few days since the shack incident, and things had returned mostly to normal. But Bill was still around. In Ford's opinion, that was a problem. What could he do though? Bill had them all wrapped around his little finger! The older male paced back and forth nervously, pondering. How could he defeat Bill? They needed him if they wanted Dipper to not destroy them all! Unless... it dawned on him.

Bill was  _lying_.

 __Ford couldn't believe he hadn't seen it before! What else would the demon do? He was a liar by nature, a con artist, master of the mind, a minipulater! An uproarious laugh jolted the scientist out of his brooding thoughts. After a glance out the window, it was revealed that Stan was sitting outside, Pitt Cola in hand, cracking jokes with Bill. What's worse, Dipper was sitting next to the demon! No, he was _leaning_ on Bill. And he looked totally relaxed as those vicious claws absently played with his hair, the other hand moving to tell a story animatedly. Everyone seemed so... relaxed with the demon now. It made Ford sick to his stomach. He was the only one who knew Ciphers full capability of trickery and silver tounged, double sided smooth talk. 

 

The other Pines had to be warned, but how? There was no proof to suggest Bill was being untruthful, and blatantly accusing him would do no good. The sly bastard would just worm his way out, like a snake coated in oil. With furious and bewildered muttering, a disheveled and disheartened Ford made his way to the vending machine, and descended into the lab. 

The old elevator squeaked and groaned in protest, its rusty gears grinding loudly with the effort to move the pulleys. Ford reminded himself to oil those one day. Finally, the agonizingly slow lift shuddered to a stop, the creaky doors opening with a jerk. Not much had changed since he'd been down here, which was a surprise, because since he'd returned to this dimension, something was always whirring or clanking with his latest experiment. Bill's surprise discovery and Dipper's condition had thrown the old man off, he suppoused absently, grabbing a fresh sheet of paper and blueprint. Ford adjusted his glasses, grabbed a pencil, compass, spare parts, and a flask of whiskey. His lips twisted into a determined frown, and with a large swig of the burning drink, Ford went to work. This would be his biggest project. A machine to trap and study demons. Something powerful enough to harness and subdue something as insanely drunk on raw power as Bill Cipher. And, with a little luck, the key to the salvation of Dipper Pines. Quick, neat strokes were used to write the title of this project. 'Demonic Salvation'. It was a rush title, and wouldn't stick most likely, but it made this all seem so real to Ford. He was gonna do this, he was going to rid the world of it's worst plague yet. 

"Goodbye, Bill Cipher, may you never hurt my family again." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I know it's short! But I've been insanely drained of inspiration lately! I finally got it back, and wrote you this shit- heap! Thanks for all the support, it means alot. Catch you all in the next chapter!


End file.
